Alaska Marijuana - Authorities in Alaska on Tuesday legalized marijuana use for recreational purposes. Adult residents can now light up in their homes and grow at least six plants without the fear of being on the wrong side of the law.
The move, which makes Alaska the third U.S. state to legalize recreational marijuana use, came as a result of Ballot Measure 2, which saw 53 percent of the state's voters calling for decriminalization in November as well as the clarification of 40 years of conflicting state laws on pot usage.
According to local reports, pot had been quasi-legal in Alaska since 1975; adults were allowed to posses and use small quantities of marijuana in their homes. However, in 2006 lawmakers criminalized pot possession even in the privacy of the home.
Although law makers are still working to establish a regulatory framework for the new law, adults are prohibited from smoking in public. They can transport up to 1 ounce and give adult friends at most an ounce of weed.
The Alcoholic Beverage Control Board is in charge of organizing the state's legal market, which would include marijuana taxation, but this won't start until early 2016.
"People will not be legally lighting up out in the park tomorrow. Should someone feel compelled to celebrate the occasion in public, they're looking at a $100 fine," Cynthia Franklin, director of the state's liquor control board said on Monday.
"In the hopes of keeping everyone informed and behaving, legalization-advocacy group the Marijuana Policy Project will also be launching ads on the side of Anchorage buses with messages like 'Consume responsibly' and 'With great marijuana laws comes great responsibility,'" she revealed.
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